Professional Experience

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 1998 to Present
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Forensic Laboratory (FL)
(Formerly U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS))The FL has been accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB) since 2001.

U.S. Department of the Treasury 1988 to 1998
U.S. Secret Service (USSS)
Forensic Services Division and Counterfeit Division

Forensic Document Examiner, 1991 – present

At the USSS, I conducted examinations of all monetary obligations (U.S. and foreign banknotes, U.S. Treasury checks, etc.) to assess their authenticity; and handwriting identification examinations of threats directed at all personnel under USSS protection and Treasury check endorsements.

At the DHS, I conduct examinations of domestic and international travel and identification documents to assess their authenticity and reveal alterations; and handwriting identification examinations of U.S immigration related documents.

Examinations include but are not limited to microscopic, instrumental and comparative analysis of handwriting, typewriting, printing processes and stamp impressions. I prepare written laboratory reports and provide expert testimony. I serve as a mentor for apprentice examiners by providing on the job training through casework examinations and by participating in panels for question and answer training sessions and mock trials. I have also provided instructional seminars to domestic and foreign officials encompassing various components of forensic document examinations.

Apprentice Forensic Document Examiner, February 1988 to February 1991

Completed a three-year resident training program in the forensic science of questioned document examination at the US Secret Service, Forensic Services Division Laboratory.

Education

Bachelor of Arts/Psychology, 1981
The University of Maryland, College Park, MD

Certifications

Certified as a Forensic Document Examiner by the American Board of Forensic Document Examiners, Inc. (ABFDE), 2002 to present(Prior to the establishment of the ABFDE in 1977, the need to identify qualified forensic scientists capable of providing essential professional services was long recognized. Within its mandate, the ABFDE provides a program of certification in forensic document examination with the dual purpose of serving the public interest and promoting the advancement of forensic science. In purpose, function and organization, therefore, the ABFDE is analogous to the certifying boards in other scientific fields. The ABFDE is recognized by, and was originally sponsored by, the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.)

Presentations and Instruction

Instructor, “Forensic Document Examination and Detection of Security Features in U.S. Travel Documents,” sponsored by the Office of American Studies, Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (OAS-CICTE) for Mexican government forensic document examiners and prosecutors, Mexico City, Mexico (2008)

Instructor, “Using Demonstrative Evidence in Conjunction with Expert Testimony,” sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice, International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) for Colombian government forensic document examiners and prosecutors, Bogota, Colombia (2007)

Instructor, “Detection of Counterfeit US Banknotes and Introduction of Newly Incorporated Security Features into Genuine US Banknotes,” sponsored by the U.S. Department of Treasury for: